1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a rack for barbecuing ribs on a grill.
2. Description of Related Art
Cooking meat on a grill is an ancient technique that survives to modern times. Typically, ribs, chops, fish or poultry are placed on a flat grid that sits over an open flame. The heat from the flame is transmitted directly to the meat and indirectly through the grill itself which absorbs and radiates heat simultaneously.
In order to expedite the cooking process, specialty racks are employed for specific types of meat. One of the best known racks is the gridiron. A piece of meat, which may comprise salmon or barbecued ribs or the like, is placed between a pair of flat opposed grids, including metallic cross pieces, and placed over an open fire. Such devices are especially suitable for flat meat, but their utility is limited with respect to items that have a compound curved shape. A typical prior art gridiron is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 1,766,572 issued on Jun. 24, 1930 to J.T. Welch, et al.
The problem of adequately cooking curved items has posed quite a challenge over the years. One of the most creative approaches is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,540,369 entitled COOKING SUPPORT FOR SHRIMP issued to Holly Brooks Hice, on Nov. 17, 1970. The support includes a plurality of curved, parallel rods that undulate to mimic the curved underside of large shrimp. It is possible, using that device, to cook a large number of shrimp simultaneously. However, the device works on the assumption that the shape of all shrimp is essentially uniform. Such a support would not be satisfactory for cooking ribs where the shape of the ribs can vary considerably from cut to cut.
It was in the context of the foregoing prior art that the present invention arose.